


Ghosting You

by Stellar_Alley



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Alternian Invasion, Angst, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Ghost Eddie Kaspbrak, M/M, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie fell in love with a dead guy, ghost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:40:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29383590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stellar_Alley/pseuds/Stellar_Alley
Summary: Just because you don't have a roommate doesn't mean you're alone in your apartment. Richie Tozier learned this the hard way.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Ghosting You

The house was big. It sure was an improvement from Richie’s previous apartment. It was better, bigger, and  _ so  _ cheap. When Richie had asked why his real estate agent had said something along the lines of the previous owner dying in a fire or something. Richie disregarded the story, instead, he focused on HOW CRAZY CHEAP THIS COOL HOUSE IS!!!

“So how’s the new place?” Beverly’s voice rang out from the small phone Richie. He had it shoved in between his ear and his shoulder since he was carrying a big box and had no hands to spare. 

Beverly Marsh had been a long time friend of Richie’s. She was ecstatic that he was finally moving out of his old shitty apartment. 

“It looks good! Can’t wait to actually furnish this place cause it looks like a fricken ghost town right now” Richie huffed as he placed the heavy box down on the kitchen counter. 

Beverly stifled a laugh, “Careful Rich, the ghost-y-os will fly into your hair!” She said in a sing-song voice. Her voice got oddly serious after, “You aren’t afraid of ghosts, right?” He could hear the smirk in her voice. 

Richie jokingly sighed with frustration, “What do you think I am, Marsh? 5?”. 

“Just checking… Just checking” Her voice drifted off. 

Richie’s stomach grumbled, “Alright- hey so excited for the big day?” Richie asked. 

“Rich that isn’t for-  _ god _ , how many months?” Bev asked. She was getting married to the love of her life. His name was Ben, he was a sweetheart and really treated her well. 

“I don’t know darling but it’s gonna come sooner than you think!” Richie chirped up. His stomach growled as he sighed “well, I’m gonna go make something  _ edible, so _ talk to you later”. 

“If the ghosts don’t get you before then” She hummed. 

“Sure,  _ sure _ ” he playfully rolled his eyes. 

Only when he heard the familiar sound of the phone line dying did he sigh, “Ghosts?  _ Give me a break _ ”. 

Little did Richie know about the two  _ dead _ eyes that stared at him from a plain beyond our reach. 

~

It had been a month since Richie moved into his new house on Neibolt Street in the middle of L.A and everything was going well. Actually, everything was going  _ very  _ well, almost  _ too  _ well. 

After every shower he took, whenever he reached out to grab the towel off of its rack, it was always in reach. Whenever he came home the TV was always on the channel he was thinking of. Sometimes he'd wake up and the dishes he had washed the previous night would already be put away. 

Then there was even a time when Richie had a grilled cheese cooking on the stove. He had totally forgotten about it until a little voice that sounded nothing like his conscious whisper  _ grilled cheese  _ in his ear. And low and behold there was his grilled cheese on the verge of catching flames. 

_ And don't even get me started on the amount of times I swear I've felt a presence in the room, or like someone was watching me.  _

So yeah there was definitely something up with his new apartment. 

Then it got quiet for about a week or so, no weird occurrences or feelings of another presence. For some reason that almost made Richie feel even  _ more  _ uneasy. 

It all changed the day Richie decided to call up his best buddy Stanley Uris. 

“Staniel! How’s my husband doing” Richie exclaimed, excited to hear Stan’s voice again. 

“Richie I’m married” Stan deadpanned. 

“Yeah I sure as hell hope so- or else everything we did at that church was fake”. 

He could visibly hear Stan roll his eyes before he proceeded “No, Richie-  _ whatever _ . How are you doing” He changed the subject. 

“Me? Oh fine, I’m just pretty sure there’s some man-eating clown ghost haunting my apartment-” 

Suddenly a bark of laughter erupted from behind him, followed by a snarky “ _ Clown ghost _ ?  _ You’ve got to be kidding me _ ”. 

Richie’s blood froze, his heart stopped and his knees almost gave out from underneath him. 

The silence was broken when Stan asked, “Richie who was that? I didn’t know you had company over”.

The hand that held the phone to his ear shook violently as he responded with an equally shaky, “I-I don’t”. 

He thought his body had stopped working, everything had shut down, he was frozen. Yet somehow he turned his head to see a dark figure standing behind him. It looked like a silhouette, some sort of dark shadow. Richie’s mind couldn’t understand what it was seeing, so he did what every other person would do at that moment. 

He screamed. It was loud and high pitched, he would have fainted if his body hadn't suddenly been filled with adrenaline. Instead, his phone slid from his hand, the screen shattering against his tile flooring. His fight or flight instincts immediately kicking in. Since he didn’t want to fight whatever hellspawn was in front of him, he ran. 

~

It took a couple of hours to calm him down. 

After he froze up and fled his house, he drove straight to Stan’s place where he proceeded to freak out over the DEMON in his apartment. He nearly fainted, he nearly  _ vomited _ , but Stan said that if Richie threw up on his new carpet he’d disown Richie and block him on Tumblr (He was joking, _ mostly. _ He mainly just didn’t want Richie to throw up). 

Stan tried to convince Richie that there was no such thing as ghosts, but he  _ heard _ another person in there with him! Richie had told him he was alone in his apartment, so how could he explain that second voice? He wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that he was gonna get down to the bottom of this because he can not keep looking at Richie when he’s this emotionally distressed.

By the time the sunset, Stan had convinced Richie to return home, only if he would stay and help check for any demons that may be hiding in the pantry. So Stan agreed. He drove behind Richie and followed him into his new place. 

Richie led Stan into the middle of his kitchen, that’s where he found his phone. It had fallen out of his hand, onto the floor, shattering the screen on impact. But that didn’t phase Richie, instead of grieving over his phone, he proceeded to show Stan, scene for scene, exactly where he was and what he heard during their phone call. 

Stan watched carefully as Richie put on an elaborate show of how he dropped his phone and fled his house. But after checking (literally) every nook and cranny inside of the house, Stan concluded that there was no ghost, it was simply Richie’s sleep-deprived brain making him see things. 

Richie sighed in defeat, “You’re probably right” his shoulders sagged. His tired eyes rose from the floor and met Stan’s. 

Stan slowly raised his hand and rested it on top of Richie’s shoulder. “Get some sleep Rich, okay?” he asked, his voice tainted with worry. 

Richie nodded slowly, “Yeah. Yeah I will”. 

Surprisingly, he did. He thought that maybe a good night’s rest will clear everything up and the next day would be just as bland and average as everyone else's.

Oh, how wrong he was. 

The following morning when Richie got out of bed, he slowly made his way downstairs, towards the kitchen in hopes of getting some caffeine in him to kickstart the day. But he did a double-take when he found a note on his kitchen counter. 

It was written on a single blue sticky note. 

**I’m Sorry.**

The sharpie still laid beside it, disregarded by whoever had written it. 

Richie hastily snatched the piece of paper off of the counter, he gripped it between his fingers until it was on the verge of tearing. 

“WHO THE HELL WROTE THIS?” He shouted, anger and fear mixing in his voice. “I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU ARE! Just  _ please _ stop fucking with me!” he begged desperately. His anxiety had been at an all-time high and he intended on figuring out whatever the hell was in his apartment so he could get some  _ fricken sleep _ !

“ _ I’m sorry _ ” A voice echoed throughout the apartment. 

Richie spun in a rapid circle, determined to find whatever was with him. He was disappointed and worried when he found out that he was all alone. “For what?  _ What! _ Sorry for what?” He snapped, his hands slammed down by his sides like a child throwing a tantrum. 

“For your phone breaking, dipshit! Clam down I just wanted to apologize”  _ The voice _ , shot back. 

Richie stayed quiet for a moment, instead, he opted to scan as much of his house as he could from where he stood in his kitchen. But he still came up with nothing, there was  _ visibly _ no one else in there with him, and listening to the voice seriously didn’t help because it sounded like it was coming from  _ everywhere _ . 

“Uh…  _ Okay, _ ” He tried to steady his voice as much as possible. When you’re as worried as Richie, that would be something that’s pretty hard to do. “And stop being such a pussy, show yourself dude” Richie demanded in a joking tone, but in reality, the last thing he was doing was telling a joke. 

“I can’t exactly do that. And I’m  _ not  _ a pussy”. Richie could picture whoever,  _ whatever, _ this was, rolling its eyes.  _ Ah, great of course I’m stuck with the most sarcastic ghost in the history of ever _ . 

“Why? Hm?” Richie hummed in confusion. “Why can’t you show me what you  _ really  _ look like?” his voice took on a more sinister tone, his determination and curiosity growing the longer he talked to  _ it _ . 

“I think you already know why,  _ Richie _ ” when it called out his name, it sounded like he had whispered it right beside his ear. It made Richie flinch back, practically jumping out of his skin. That didn’t phase  _ it _ , “You know what I am, why I can’t show you what I  _ really _ look like”. 

Richie’s eyes began quickly darting around the room again. Deep down he knew wouldn’t find anything new, but it was all he could do. “ _ No _ ” He whispered. He felt a weird wave of emotion roll over him, his eyes began to well up with tears “N-No you aren’t real, you can’t be!”.

“Oh but I am, I’m  _ dead _ , Richie.  _ I’m fucking  _ _ dead _ _ ” _ . 

Richie couldn’t hold it in anymore. Suddenly he turned on his heels, booking it towards the nearest bathroom. He slammed the door, locked it, even though if his knowledge on ghosts was correct, that really wouldn’t do him any good, but it still managed to put  _ some part _ of his mind at ease. The moment the door was locked, he fell to his knees with a loud  _ thump _ , then the toilet seat was up and he was throwing up everything he had eaten that day. 

Richie had a history of vomiting when he was stressed or anxious. So, of course, a run in with a ghost would cause his stomach to do a whole fucking gymnastics routine, and the grand finale was all of it miraculously leaving his system and ending up in the toilet. 

When his big performance was over, Richie could’ve pulled off being the dead one because that’s what he looked like. He laid with his legs sprawled out in front of him and his back up against the wall in a lifeless heap on the bathroom floor. His mouth tasted of vile and vomit, the scent burned his nose with every shallow breath he took. 

A soft knock broke the silence that Richie sat in. The only response the man could muster was an exhausted grunt. 

“I-I didn’t mean that-  _ well _ , fuck” The voice sighed, “Just come out when you’re ready” it finished, it sounded exasperated. 

Richie took his time. He slowly got to his feet, washed his hands, splashed cold water onto his face, texted Stan a PDF of his will,  _ then _ he was ready. 

He hesitantly stepped out of the bathroom, expecting to be jump scared by some gruesome sight, instead he was met by an empty hallway. Then an empty doorway, and an empty kitchen. It was the family room where he stumbled upon something. In the middle of the room stood a ghost.  _ Literally _ . It was a figure that was covered up by a sheet. 

Richie was about to scream, he planned on screaming so loud the neighbours would hear, like a banshee screeching when someone dies. Instead, he simply stood there in shock. 

It held its sheet covered hands out towards Richie as if to show it meant no harm, “P-Please don’t scream” The ghost begged. “I just-uh… I thought this would help. So, here I am”. 

The human’s mouth fell into an 0 shape as his eyes grew wide like the full moon. “So you are real” he whispered in a voice that had no emotion. 

“Yes… I’m Eddie” the ghost, _ Eddie _ , said. He held out a hand and before Richie could think it over he reached out and shook the hand. It was  _ cold _ , but Richie was always hot so they kinda balanced out. 

A small detail stood out to Richie, that’s what caused his lips to curl up into a smirk. 

“Hm? What’s that for?” Eddie questioned the reaction.

In response, Richie gave a very  _ Richie  _ response. “How fucking tall are you dude? You’re a ghost! Can’t you change your appearance so you’re not the height of one of those guys from The Hobbit?” He laughed at his own joke. 

It was true, Richie was  _ much _ taller than the sheeted figure standing before him, who by the way did not appreciate the comment. “Oh very funny asshole, I’m average height by the way! You’re just a fucking giant” he retorted, a faint smile in his voice.

“Average height? You’re so not average height unless average height became fun-sized since the last time I’ve heard” Richie smirked down at the shorter male. 

“Oh fuck you bro” He growled, but his voice held no hostility. If anything, he almost sounded amused. 

Richie burst out in laughter. It was something about how short and angry the ghost was that he found funny. “You're like a chihuahua! All small and filled with anger” he mused. 

He could visibly see the ghost shake its head “Fine, whatever I'll leave you alone so you don't keep vomiting up your lunch” he waved his hand and began to turn as if he were going to leave. 

Richie's eyebrows furrowed, he exclaimed “Wait-” he grabbed Eddie's hand. “ _ Uh _ , You don’t have to leave- if you don’t want to that is”. He hoped his voice didn’t sound as eager as he sounded in his head. But after the initial spook of being haunted, he actually really liked the idea of having a ghost buddy.

Eddie’s head tilted to the side like a confused puppy, “Are you sure?” He asked cautiously. “Two seconds ago you just lost your dinner, two hours ago you broke your phone the first time you heard me” he pointed out.

“Yes-  _ Yes _ , I know,” Richie thought about his next words for a second, “But I just think you can grow on me”. When the ghost hesitated, Richie continued “Come on Eds, where else would you go? Not everyone is as accepting as me”. 

The ghost turned, he faced Richie so now he didn’t look like he was about to bolt. “Even if I wanted to leave, I can’t. I’m bound to this house” He sighed.

“What?” Richie asked, his mouth falling back open.

“So I uh-  _ died _ ”. 

“Duh” Richie arched an eyebrow.

“Shut up” Eddie spat, “I died- okay, get over it. But before all of that shit happened, I was a real person, and I lived here” Eddie finished quickly, almost as if it hurt him. 

Richie wasn’t sure if his jaw could open any further, but apparently, it could cause he was  _ shocked _ . “Wait- Eds you were the one who lived here before me?” He asked in shock. “The one that died in the fi-“ 

“ _ Yes _ ! That was me, and hey stop fucking calling me that.” Eddie snapped, cutting Richie off. “That’s how I died, now I’m here, forever chained to this place”, Richie could sense how uncomfortable Eddie was with talking about it, so he let him go on. He let out a little huff from his nose, “It doesn’t even look the same as it did when I was here” he slowly shook his head. 

Richie couldn’t stop his motor mouth from asking “Then why’d you end up here? Why not your childhood home?”.

“Cause that hell hole was just a house. A house that my mom brainwashed me into thinking was the safest place in the world, she barely let me out most of the time. Even when I was at home she was always shoving pills and other medications down my throat-“ Eddie choked on his words. 

“Oh shit, Eds I’m sorry” Richie tried to apologize. 

“Stop fucking calling me that!” Eddie snapped, his sheeted hands flailing in the air with anger. 

“Sorry” Richie backed off. “Just, please don’t leave. I’ve always hated living alone so I wouldn’t mind some company” Richie shot Eddie a warm smile. 

Eddie sighed, Richie could tell he was rolling his eyes from under that sheet, “It’s not like I can go anywhere else”.

“Good…  _ Eddie _ ” Richie made a point of calling him by his preferred name. “Welcome,  _ roomie _ ” Richie slowly raised his hand up towards Eddie. 

“Yeah yeah, whatever,  _ Trashmouth _ ” Eddie held his hand up to meet Richie’s, they shook hands and it was official. They were roommates. 

~

A week later, Richie had had enough. 

“Okay this is getting kinda creepy Eds” Richie confessed. 

“ _ Eddie _ ” The ghost corrected. 

“Edward” Richie continued.

“That’s even worse” Eddie sighed, “But go on”. 

“Okay- you’ve gotta put something else on- or cut holes so I can see your eyes-“ 

“ _ No! _ ” Eddie snapped. 

“Alright, alright” Richie held his hands up in defence. He had gotten used to Eddie snapping at him, and he almost enjoyed getting Eddie riled up, it was fun. He could practically see steam coming from the area where his ears would be. 

Richie’s eyes lit up an idea dawned upon him, “AH! I’ve got it” he exclaimed, raising a hand into the air before he darted out of the room with determination in his step.

“Rich- hey wha?” Eddie stopped once he realized Richie had left hearing range. 

When the comedian returned, he had a shit eating grin plastered on his face and a hand behind his back. 

“Oh no, what do you have?” Eddie almost regretted asking. 

Richie’s smile brightened at Eddie’s curiosity. “Close your eyes” He instructed with excitement. 

Eddie hesitated then reluctantly closed his eyes, even though they were hidden beneath the sheet and Richie couldn’t guarantee that his eyes were closed. He closed them nonetheless. “Alright,” Eddie said with closed eyes. 

He felt a pair of hands carefully slide something over his head. 

“There” Richie said, “Open your eyes”. 

“What did you,  _ oh god _ . Really?” Eddie demanded when he saw his reflection in the mirror. That’s when he saw the big goggles Richie had slide onto his face. 

“Yes! Now I can see where your eyes are! Wait- That is where your eyes are right? It’s not like over your mouth or anything right?” Richie asked, reaching his hands out again towards Eddie, but the ghost quickly slapped his hand away. 

“Yes,  _ yes _ they’re on my eyes” Eddie confirmed. 

Eddie was too busy focusing on fixing these goggles to notice Richie poking at the sheet that was draped over him. When he noticed he arched an eyebrow “W-What are you doing?” Eddie’s heart sped up as he took a step away from Richie. 

“How does it work?” Richie questioned. 

Eddie tilted his head, “How does what work?”. 

“The whole ghost thing. How can I touch you sometimes but other times-” To prove his point, Richie went to poke Eddie again. This time his hand went right through Eddie. 

“Well, it’s whether I focus on being here or not. Sometimes I wanna be physical-” Eddie placed a sheeted hand on Richie’s shoulder, and his hand actually felt a bit warmer now that it was (almost) touching Richie’s skin. Eddie hasn't felt that type of warmth since he died. He shook the feeling off and continued. “Other times I wanna-” and then Eddie walked through the nearest wall. “That’s really all there is. I don’t have like a manual or anything on how to be a ghost so my guess is as good as yours” He shrugged. 

Eddie could do that, as well as disappear entirely which Richie had already seen. As time went by, Richie also got used to Eddie’s ghostly teleportation powers. Sometimes he’d be sitting at his desk, in bed, cooking, then  _ bam _ Eddie would just  _ appear _ out of thin air. It has caused various accidents (lots of mugs have been lost) so Richie has placed a ‘No Random Telepoting’ rule in place, which Eddie has been able to follow  _ most days _ . Now he usually walks into the room or starts talking before he appears. 

~

One night Richie had worked late in the radio studio and returned home  _ much _ later than normal. 

“Honey I’m home!” Richie called out to his ghost buddy. It’s been over a month since Richie moved and he really enjoys his new place. What he enjoys, even more, is Eddie’s company. They have grown pretty close within the short time that they’ve known each other. Richie tests out his new jokes on Eddie, now he knows the ghost’s sense of humour so he picks specific jokes and segments that he knows will get Eddie laughing because he  _ adores  _ the sound of his laugh. He can practically imaging the way his head would tilt back, mouth wide with laughter, nose all crinkled and eyes filled with joy. 

When Richie was met with no response his eyebrows furrowed together “Eddie?” He called out. 

_ Whatever, it’s fine that he doesn’t always come and greet you at the door. He doesn’t  _ **_always_ ** _ have to. I mean I like it when he does, he  _ **_usually_ ** _ does. But it’s fine he can do whatever he wants to, it’s fine.  _

Richie shrugged, shaking whatever this feeling was off before he continued into the house. He hadn’t noticed how dark it had gotten outside until he walked into the kitchen where he noticed how badly he needed to turn a light on. Richie walked back over to the entrance of the kitchen and flipped the light switch, illuminating the kitchen and revealing a dark figure that stood in front of the patio window. At the sight of this figure, Richie let out a blood-curdling scream. 

The figure immediately disappeared, which only made Richie scream louder. He began to turn around in hopes of running to the door to get out of his house. He stopped when another figure appeared in front of him. He wore a seemingly normal black hoodie with a plain white shirt underneath and matching black jeans. It was a man, around the same age as Richie, with brown hair with matching brown eyes. These eyes were not normal eyes, they were big and wide,  _ pretty doe eyes _ , Richie would proceed to call them. But something was off with his face. The skin from his left cheek up to his forehead was covered in a red burn like scar. 

There was only one person it could be. “Eddie?” Richie gasped at his realization. 

Eddie’s big doe eyes grew even wider as if he realized he had forgotten his ghost sheet. “R-Richie…” Eddie’s voice drifted off. Before Richie could react, he blinked and Eddie was gone. 

Richie called out for him, but after so many failed attempts he stopped, shoulders sagged, heart still racing. He looked around the main floor, he didn’t find any hidden clues on where Eddie went. Richie slowly made his way towards the window that Eddie had been looking out of. Before Richie left for work, he had opened some of the blinds up as per Eddie’s request. It was evident what Eddie had been so entranced by,  _ the full moon _ . 

Something clicked-

Richie stood in the same spot about a week before, except it was mid day, and the sky he was looking at was all blue, aside from the crescent moon in the sky. 

“It’s a waxing moon, in about a week we’ll be staring at a full moon” Eddie informed Richie as appeared by his side. 

“ _ SHIT”  _ Richie shrieked, his shoulders going up to his ears, but relaxing when he realized it was Eddie. “Shit Edwardo don’t fucking do that to me” He tried to catch his breath. 

“Sorry” Eddie’s apology wasn't very convincing since he was in the midst of trying to stop laughing at Richie’s reaction. His hand went up to his mouth as if that would help but with the sheet, it didn’t do much. 

“Jesus-“ Richie sighed, finally caught his breath. “But,  _ wow,  _ you know your stuff Eds” he nodded in approval. 

Eddie shook his head, “You’ve really gotta stop with all the stupid nicknames”. 

“Hey! They are not  _ stupid _ , or  _ nicknames _ , they’re terms of endearment” Richie held a hand to his heart. 

The human couldn’t see it but the ghost’s cheeks had grown hot and red, he was blushing  _ hard _ . 

_ He probably has stupid nicknames for everyone. So stop acting like a school girl who just got complimented by their crush. But this is  _ **_so_ ** _ different cause- cause Richie is  _ **_not_ ** _ a crush, right? _

Only then did Eddie notice that neither of them had spoken in a couple of minutes, so he decided to break the silence. “My uh- my dad was the one who taught me… about astrology” Eddie informed Richie softly. He sounded almost like it hurt to recall the memory. 

“That’s really cool!” Richie smiled at Eddie. 

He had a nice smile, it was big and toothy, but Eddie enjoyed it. Whenever he smiled at Eddie or something he’s said, the ghost could almost feel it light up the room. 

“Yeah, on clear nights, especially if there was a full moon, we used to stay up after my mom went to bed and stargaze” Eddie recalled the old memory, it brought a faint smile to his face. He missed his dad. 

“And I guess since you- uh,  _ died _ . You haven’t really been able to do that?” Richie sounded like he was walking on eggshells, he always got nervous like this when he brought up Eddie’s death since he figured it would be a touchy subject. 

Eddie sighed, “Yeah… For the longest time, this house was just sitting here,  _ empty _ while it was on the market. Sadly the asshole real estate agent had to leave the motion sensor alarms on so I could never open the blinds without the damn alarms going off. And, well this is the first full moon since you moved in” Eddie shrugged. 

Richie didn’t mention it but he could sense that Eddie was excited about the full moon. From the backstory to the subtle change in tone of voice, it was evident to the comedian. Only now, after Eddie had vanished did Richie remember what he had planned for him. 

Richie had organized all of the various things he had and all of the rooms in the new house were ready to be used, well except for the dining room. He never really used the dining room, he hadn't thrown any parties or anything yet, and in his last apartment, he didn’t have one. So now he had a new dining room set that had yet to be uncovered by the sheet he tossed over them for dust protection since he  _ knew  _ he wouldn’t be using them. He still didn’t need them, but he did need the space they were occupying. 

One by one Richie moved all of the chairs out of the, followed by the table. Which was tough but he was a fairly strong man so he was able to push it out of the way. Once the space was cleared, he continued on to setting up the space. He laid a blanket out on the hardwood floor, then decorated it with various candles to light up the area. 

_ Why am I doing all of this? He might not even show up,  _ Richie wondered in his head.  _ He’s a friend! Friends do nice things for each other, especially when one of the other friends pissed off the other. Friends… Then why do I feel this way _ ? Richie argued with himself. He remembered all the time he’s spent with the ghost since he moved in, all of the late nights, early morning wake-up calls (Richie had a tendency to sleep in) and all of the funny moments. They really had a way of getting each other going. Richie hasn't laughed this hard with anyone in a very long time.

“Eddie I’m sorry” Richie called out to the empty house, unaware if his ghost buddy was even there. 

Thinking of Eddie, now, all he could imagine was that scar on the side of his face.  _ Is that why he’s been hiding all this time?  _ Richie wondered before he called out again, “C-Can we talk?  _ Please _ .”

Barely a minute passed before Richie suddenly felt a presence behind him. 

“ _ Hey _ ” Richie’s voice softened at the sight of Eddie, with the sheet over himself again, “You know you don’t need the she-”. 

Eddie hesitated, there was a storm behind his eyes. “ _ Yes, _ Richie I do cause I’m a fucking burn victim, the fire, the one that  _ killed me _ . I’m a ghost,  _ a monster _ . Every time I see that, I’m reminded of it” he snapped. 

Richie’s eyes grew wide with shock, “Oh my- Eddie you are not  _ any  _ of those! You are not a monster. You’re  _ dead _ , yeah I said it, you’re dead!” Richie exclaimed. “And you’re a ghost,  _ ghost _ . Not a werewolf or a vampire, a ghost! Eddie, a  _ spirit _ . And who gives a shit if you have a scar! That doesn’t change the fact that you’re still really fucking pretty and you have big doe eyes that I wanna see again-” Richie stopped himself before he confessed even more of his inner thoughts. 

Eddie stopped. The hurricane of thoughts in his head finally halted for the time being. Now he simply stared at Richie. “You… You think I’m pretty?” He asked Richie as if he thought he was lying.

Richie’s palms began to sweat, now he remembered why he didn’t ask people out. “Yes, Eds. I know it was only a split second but I thought you were one of the prettiest faces I’ve ever seen” He slowly explained. 

The ghost watched the human take a step forward and he wanted to take a step back, but he forced himself to stay in place. “But Richie I’m a guy” Eddie’s voice shook.

When Eddie was still alive, he was in a very unhealthy marriage with a woman named Myra. She resembled his mother in the way that they both assumed Eddie was a helpless, delicate boy who needed to be protected. He never felt happy with Myra, so he always assumed it was that, but he couldn’t help but notice his attraction to the opposite gender. He always said how he wanted to fall in love with a man because maybe it would be different than whatever he had with Myra (since  _ that _ wasn't love). Maybe it just took him to die to realize what it meant. 

“And I’m gay” Richie confirmed, taking another step towards Eddie. 

Eddie had thought about Richie’s sexuality but he was never sure, nor did he want to ask him out of the blue. 

“Is that why you wanted to talk? To confirm your sexual attraction to me?” Eddie tilted his head in accusation. He hated the tone his voice took on, he became defensive. Which was fairly normal whenever he got onto the topic of  _ his _ sexuality. He never admitted it when he was alive, so what good would it do him now. 

Richie quickly backed off. He performed for enough audiences to be able to read a room, and currently, the tension in this room was thick enough to cut a steak. So he backed off. “No,  _ no _ , I actually wanted to show you this-” Richie turned, heading over to the wall where a pair of light switches sat on the wall. “I don’t think you ever realized this was installed, cause then you would’ve been a lot more excited” A faint smirk appeared on Richie’s lips as he flipped the switch. The two watched a fairly large panel in the ceiling move up, then to the side, retreating somewhere into the ceiling, revealing the midnight sky overhead. “A skylight”.

All it took was the sight of the full moon to break the tension in the room, Eddie’s eyes grew wide with wonder as he mindlessly stepped forward towards the skylight. 

With Eddie entranced by the moon, Richie took the opportunity to carefully place his foot on top of the corner of the sheet. So when Eddie stepped forward the sheet slid off of his head in one brief sweep. Richie shot heart eyes over at Eddie, even if it was the back of his head, he examined Eddie’s brown soft curls and wondered what it’d be like to run his hands through them. 

“Eddie…” Richie’s voice drifted off, reaching a hand out, carefully placing it on the ghost’s now physical shoulder. 

Eddie turned his head to look over at the human. Richie noticed how hesitated “Please don’t leave. I-I don’t care what you look like, or what you’ve done, or what you are. All that matters is that you’re  _ you _ , and that’s what I like, you Eddie,  _ you.  _ So please don’t leave”.

Eddie was speechless, finally, he noticed that the sheet was gone and his face filled with shock. His mind was too caught up in what Richie just said, all he could muster was a quiet “O-Okay”. A chill ran through Eddie’s body as the human’s hand slid from his shoulder down to Eddie’s hand. He carefully laced his fingers with Eddies and led him into the middle of the skylight. 

Slowly, Richie began to lower into a sitting position, Eddie followed suit. The two sat down and Eddie tilted his head up towards the moon. 

“It’s really pretty… And if you say it’s not as pretty as me I will break all your mugs” Eddie glanced over at Richie. He was still unable to get his mind off of the fact that Richie was still holding his hand. 

Richie barked out a laugh, the ice slightly breaking. “Alright alright,” Richie stopped laughing, instead he tilted his head up and looked at the moon. “It is pretty” He agreed. “Still doesn’t compare to you…” He mumbled with the hope that Eddie had not heard him. 

Eddie didn’t mention it, instead, he looked away with burning red cheeks, his heart racing inside of his chest as his stomach tied itself into a knot. In the moment, Eddie didn’t want to be seen, he wanted to curl up and melt into the floor. Instead, he began to lean backwards, carefully laying down on the blanket. 

Richie watched the ghost lay down, but when he looked back up at the moon, his picture flickered a bit. Richie tried not to let his smile flicker too much but that was hard when he remembered the guy he had a crush on was also  _ dead _ . But that didn’t stop him from laying down beside him. 

They didn’t talk much after that, but they were both sharing the same feeling. They looked past the evident fact that the living and the dead could never  _ truly _ be together, but at the time, they didn’t care. They just laid there, in the moment, under the moon,  _ together _ . 

~

Richie had never  _ voluntarily  _ gone to a library, but he also had a crush on a ghost so,  _ I guess it’s the first time for everything. _

He asked one I the kinda ladies for help, she was kinda young, her nametag read ‘Alley’. She was very nice and kindly showed Richie where their section was on ghosts and the paranormal. 

He skimmed through the shelves, picking up any random books that seemed like they could help him out. Once he had a sufficient amount of books, he took a seat at one of the desks and began reading. Richie came across  _ a lot _ of information that he took note of on his phone, writing important parts down in a new Note on his phone and taking pictures of things that were too big to write.

He found out that for ghosts being physical, making themselves visible and moving things took a lot of power from them, leaving them weak. That’s why most ghosts don’t make themselves known to humans. Richie actually felt kinda bad for all the times he’s reached out to touch Eddie,  _ forcing _ him to be physical to return the touch. 

Richie shook the feeling away and continued reading. The books explained how ghosts take power from anything with energy, batteries, phones, lights etc. Richie made a mental note to stock up on things Eddie could take power from. 

Then the book took a turn, 

_ Why do ghosts exist? Why do spirits get trapped in his in-between state instead of crossing over? That is because all spirits that die with unfinished business from their previous life stay in the mortal realm until they can complete what they couldn’t do before. After that, the spirit with cross over and face their fate, whatever that may be.  _

Richie gasped, having forgotten to breathe during the time that he was reading the passage. Something about it made his skin tingle with goosebumps, make a chill run down his spine. 

_ Unfinished business? Crossing over? What the- _

He hated what he thought next. He hated how selfish it was and how he couldn’t even bear to consider what it would mean. 

_ What happens when Eddie finishes his business? I can’t lose him _ .

Richie shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and running a hand through his hair. 

_ I can’t be  _ **_this_ ** _ fucking attached to a GHOST! Jesus Richie I know you always say you want what you can’t have but  _ **_this_ ** _ , THIS is fucking extreme. So what if he has unfinished business, so what if when he finishes it I lose the only man I’ve ever truly lov- _

Richie slammed the book closed and stormed out of the library without finishing his train of thought. 

~

About a week later was the day Richie finally brought it up. 

It was a Friday, which the two had dubbed as their weekly movie night. Richie usually gets out a bit earlier, picks up whatever take out he’s feeling that night. That day during his lunch break he was scouring Netflix to try and find something to watch tonight. But he knew well enough what he was really looking for,  _ something for Eddie.  _

Jennifer’s body,  _ no too gory _ . A Dogs Purpose?  _ Too sad.  _ It’s too early for Christmas movies and Eddie thinks romance movies are too cheesy. Hmm, Richie stops when he scrolls past the latest rage on Netlfix, Cobra Kai. 

_ Eddie loves karate kid, so he’s bound to like this, right? _

Richie smiled down at his phone, excited to go home and announce what they’d watch this week. Ever since he and Eddie have gotten closer, he’s become a lot more excited by the thought of returning home to his…  _ Eddie _ .

That night was a nachos kind of night. So Richie made a quick stop by one of the local Mexican restaurants and grabbed an order to go. He made it home in record time and was greeted by his favourite little ghost. 

“Honey where are my pants?” Richie called out the moment he stepped into the house. 

Eddie appeared in front of him with a baffled expression plastered over his face. “Richie you  _ are  _ wearing pants” He pointed out as if it weren’t obvious. 

Richie stopped when he realized Eddie didn’t get it, “yeah, it’s a joke from the- you know what nevermind” he disregarded the comment, “How’s my darling Eddie doing?” Richie exclaimed, opening his arms up to go hug Eddie. When he stepped forward he stepped right through the ghost, “Wha-” he turned to see Eddie smirking over at him. 

“Come on Rich, I’m bored out of my mind” Eddie floated up and poofed out of the room. 

Richie stopped for about half a second before he followed behind Eddie. He began to unpack his bag of take out when his phone started to ring, he glanced down and saw the name  _ Beverly Marsh  _ illuminated his screen. 

“Give me a sec I gotta take this” Richie mumbled, he left before Eddie could even respond, going into his office for some privacy.

“Hello, my sweetheart” Richie answered in an overly British accent.

“Richieeee!” Beverly exclaimed into the phone. 

Richie huffed out an exhale from his nose and smirked as he held the phone away from his ear, “Bevvyyy, how’s a-going?” His voice reverted back to normal. 

“It’s going good, just wanted to check on my best man, are you excited?” Her voice was all giddy since her wedding was in a month. 

“Me? Are  _ you  _ excited?!” He asked in excitement. 

“Yes, of course, I’m excited!” She exclaimed, once she calmed down she asked: “Oh hey have you decided on your plus one yet?”. 

“Oh… no it’ll probably just be me” Richie glanced out the door, making sure Eddie wasn’t listening in. 

“ _ Really? _ What about that guy you always have over? invite him!”. 

Richie immediately blushed, “What! No,  _ no _ , We- uh, aren’t like that” He supplied a quick answer. He had tried to brush off the comments, and say there wasn’t anyone since he couldn’t exactly tell them he had a thing for a ghost. Instead he just agreed and said he had a new friend that he was having over. 

“But he makes you so happy! Come on Rich, I haven’t seen you this happy in a really long time” Beverly egged him on. 

Richie sighed, “No… Beverly trust me, he doesn’t feel the same” he leaned on the wall to his office. 

Eddie leaned on the other side of the wall, his heart clenching in his chest. All this time he thought  _ Richie  _ was the one who didn’t feel the same.  _ But I’m  _ _ dead _ _ and he’s not… _

When Richie left his office, Eddie poofed back into the kitchen so it looked like he never left. 

“We good to get started?” Richie asked, forcing his voice to return to its normal tone. 

“Yep, we’re all good” Eddie held back a sigh as he stared at the man he knew he could never be with. 

~

The wedding came faster than anyone had realized. One night Richie and Eddie were watching Movies and eating nachos and now he’s scrambling to put his suit on. 

“Okay, do you have everything?” Eddie stressed. Richie had been running around like a headless chicken, so Eddie jumped in to help. 

“Uh-Uh” Richie stuttered anxiously, “TiE!” he exclaimed his hands insticlty going up to his neck to check if it were there.

“Bathroom!” Eddie pipped up when he remembered Richie left it in there when he was doing his hair. 

Before Richie could even begin to make his way to the door, Eddie disappeared and reappeared with the tie carefully held in his hands. 

“Here-“ Eddie handed the tie over. Richie slid the piece of fabric around his kneck and stopped as if he needed a moment to think it over. Eddie arched an eyebrow, “Richie, Do you know how to tie a tie?”. 

Richie hesitated but he knew he had limited time so he gave in, “No…” he sighed. 

“Okay, that’s what I thought” Eddie mumbled with a smirk. He took a step closer to Richie, closing the distance between them. Then it hit him that maybe not  _ everyone _ was comfortable with this. With wide eyes he asked, “Do you mind?” he gestured towards the tie. 

Richie’s eyes grew wide to match Eddie’s. His cheeks grew pink. “Yeah it’s okay” he inhaled. 

Eddie nodded and slowly moved his hands up towards Richie’s neck. Carefully he took the tie in his hands, evened it out then began tieing it. When he was done he made sure it was tight enough. His hands simply sat on Richie’s shoulders for a beat before they slid down his arms. There was a split second where his fingers brushed against Richie’s but he pulled away before anything could happen. 

Richie had been holding his breath the entire time, desperately hoping that Eddie couldn’t hear his heart as it beat in his ears. 

“Thanks” It came out quieter than Richie would’ve liked. He was too busy making it sure that it didn’t sound like he wasn’t totally falling for Eddie. 

Eddie was dead, that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel the heat that reverberated off of Richie’s body. His skin tingled where they had touched. His heartbeat matched Richie’s.

The ghost quickly blinked, his eyes meeting Richie’s, what once was a peaceful smile was now a big grin, “Okay now go before you’re late to your best friend’s wedding!”. 

Richie snapped out of his love-filled trance, adrenaline filling his veins. “Yes!  _ Yes _ , okay!” He tried to hype himself up. Sadly he couldn’t help the hint of anxiety that seeped into his voice. Suddenly his face fell, “What if I fuck up?” He wondered nervously. 

Eddie’s face softened, he slowly took a step forward. He reached out and took Richie’s hands in his, “Richie you talk to hundreds of strangers every week on your show-”. 

“Yeah but Eddie that’s different” He wined. 

“You’re gonna be great” The ghost smiled, and before he stopped himself he leaned in and kissed Richie on the cheek. “Now go, I’ll be right here waiting for you when you get back” he pushed away from Richie. 

The human was in shock, his heart rate was through the roof. The adrenaline that pumped through his veins gave him just enough of a boost to allow him to nod, flash Eddie a semi embarrassed smile, then book it out the door. He didn’t stop smiling the entire way there. 

~

The wedding went well, just as planned. Beverly and Ben looked just as in love as they always have, if not even more (Richie wasn't sure if that was possible). Sadly he couldn’t help but notice the little bit of sadness that crept into his heart when he saw how happy they were together. Every little glance they shared, every touch, every kiss, reminded him of Eddie, and how much he  _ loved him _ . 

So that’s why the best part of his night was when he got to go home to Eddie, his  _ ghost _ . 

The house was dark, which was odd since he usually left the lights on so the house wouldn’t feel  _ too lonely _ . 

“Hey Eds, I’m back!” He called out from the entrance of the house. Richie opted to leave his shoes on and make his way into the kitchen. He turned the light on but was left confused as he wasen’t in there. Richie slowly began to check the other rooms on the first floor. “Man it was a fun night, you should’ve seen the look on their faces when-” His heart stopped when he turned the corner into the dining room. 

The furniture had still been pushed aside and the skylight was open. It wasn't a full moon but the waning crescent that hung in the sky provided enough light to make the figure in the middle of the room look like he was glowing. 

There he was, in the middle of the room. It was Eddie. He looked as beautiful as ever. With the moonlight over his head, his big doe eyes sparkled causing Richie’s heart to melt. He wore a black suit, tie and all. Richie had never seen anything so amazing in his entire life. 

Eddie’s face softened when he saw Richie. Slowly be began to speak, “You know if I could, I would’ve come”.

Richie’s face scrunched up in confusion, “Wait what?!”. 

Eddie took a step towards Richie, “ _ that night _ , that night you talked to Bev. If I could have gone Richie,  _ I would _ ” he took another step and another. 

Richie couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “Eddie what are you saying?”. 

The ghost smirked, “I think you know what I’m saying” he said, a hand slipped up to cup the back of Richie’s head, he tilted his head and kissed him on the lips. 

It felt like fireworks were exploding in their chest. For a moment neither of them thought about the inevitable, they only thought  _ this _ . The way their lips moved in unison as if they were made for each other. Two puzzle pieces finally reunited after a lifetime of separation. 

Richie’s arms drifted towards Eddie’s hips, slowly he pulled the other closer so they were chest to chest. 

As much as he didn’t want to, Richie was the first one to pull away. “You have no clue how long I’ve wanted to do that,” He said against Eddie’s lips. He felt the ghost’s lips smile against his own. 

“Yeah, I can imagine” Eddie whispered before he went back in for another kiss. 

Only then, when Richie’s heartbeat slowly returned to normal did he realize that there was a slow song playing in the background.  _ La vie en rose by Louis Armstrong,  _ one of Richie’s favourites. This time when he pulled away he leaned down and rested his forehead on top of Eddie’s. 

“You did all this?” He asked softly as his hands found Eddie’s. Slowly, the two began to sway together to the slow beat of the song. 

“ _ Yeah _ , of course. I had to do something,  _ to tell you _ , before it was too late” Eddie sharply inhaled. He hated touching on this subject but he had to tell Richie before it  _ was  _ too late. __

Richie immediately pulled back, “W-What? Too late for what?”. 

Eddie tensed, this is exactly what he  _ didn’t  _ want to happen. He took Richie’s hands in his. Before anything happened Eddie began to quickly explain, “Okay so ghosts have this thing called unfinished business-”.

Richie’s face scrunched up, “wait you know about that?”. 

Eddie tilted his head, “ _ Yeah _ , of course, I know that. A-And I think I know what mine is. Richie, you know how I was married in my past life,  _ right? _ It didn’t go well…. But uh- the entire time I  _ was  _ married, there was always one thing I would say,  _ over and over again _ ” He stopped for a beat and just stared into Richie’s worried eyes. “I always said that I knew it’d be different if I fell in love with a guy…  _ Richie,  _ I always said I wanted to fall in love with a man” he exhaled. 

Richie’s mind was moving a mile a minute, “Are you saying you-”. 

“Yes. Richie, I love you” Eddie declared before he went in for another kiss. 

Richie stood there, frozen in shock. Eddie noticed and pulled away, immediately filled with embarrassment. “ _ Shit  _ I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have-” he was cut off by Richie surging forward and kissing him back. 

When their lips separated Richie whispered “I love you too” against Eddie’s mouth. “I love you so much” he proclaimed before he went in and kissed him again. 

The two kissed for a while, then they simply held each other and swayed back to the quiet music that played in the background. 

Then they felt it. It was almost like a low vibrating sound, and it came from Eddie. 

Richie was quick to ask, “Eds what’s happening?”. 

Eddie’s eyes rose to meet Richie’s, but they weren’t filled with fear or worry. It almost looked like Eddie’s eyes were filled with…  _ happiness _ . 

“The thing about unfinished business is that, once it’s done, they  _ crossover, _ ” The two said that final work in unison as it finally clicked for Richie.

He immediately jumped, wrapping Eddie up in his arms, holding his as tightly as he could. Sadly the vibration only proceeded to grow with time. “No,  _ no  _ Eddie y-you can’t-  _ please _ , I need you” Richie begged, his eyes filled with tears as reality began to set in. 

Eddie held him so tightly, soaking in these final moments. He memorized the way Richie’s touch made him feel, how his hair smelled like his shampoo, the colour of his eyes, and the sound of his loud laugh. Sadly  _ the  _ moment was coming. Eddie pulled away and kissed Richie again. “It’s okay Rich. I know I can’t stay, but it’s  _ okay _ . You’ll be  _ okay _ . Just- Just remember that  _ I love you _ , and I’ll always love you” The vibrating continued, the ghost’s form began to flicker. He started to  _ fade.  _

“I love you too Eddie,  _ so fucking much _ . Don’t you  _ ever _ forget that Spaghetti” Richie kissed him again. 

Eddie quickly pulled away, their foreheads slowly leaned against each other’s again. “I know…  _ I know _ ” he pulled away and looked up at Richie, “Just know that I  _ will  _ find you again, this isn’t the end,” Eddie said slowly. Then he went in and wrapped Richie up in a hug again. “I love you” he whispered into his ear. 

When Richie went to hug Eddie back, the ghost was gone. His eyes snapped open, quickly he looked at his hands and saw that where Eddie had once been was now filled with this magical sparkle. Richie watched as the sparkles glowed and shimmered, slowly leaving his grasp and drifting up towards the skylight, towards the moon. 

“I love you, Eddie” Richie wiped a tear from his cheek as he whispered to the moon.

~

**One Year Later**

Richie sighed. He took another sip of his coffee and proceeded to read over his script  _ again _ . Tonight was his first stand up comedy show. It was at some shitty bar downtown but it was his  _ first time _ and he was beyond nervous. 

His foot tapped anxiously on the tile floor as he continued to re-work the ending. It was the fourth time he’s tried to fix it, yet it  _ still  _ didn’t sound good. 

“Is this seat taken?” A voice asked from above. 

Richie’s favourite spot to focus on his work was a little coffee shop a few blocks from his house. Usually, he would be able to go there without being bothered by any of the other customers, but it was a first time for everything.

“Sorry I’ve got a-” When he looked up at the man, Richie lost the ability to speak. “ _ Eddie? _ ” He gasped, nearly spilling his coffee in the process. 

The man’s eyes went wide, he had the same big doe eyes and everything. After a close inspection, there were a few differences. This man wore glasses, a thin frame with almost circular lenses. His hair was a  _ bit  _ longer so it curled at the ends. One of the biggest differences was the absence of the scar on his left side of his face.

“Excuse me?” The man chuckled nervously. 

“Uh-  _ Sorry _ , you just look  _ a lot _ like someone I used to know….” Richie’s voice drifted off at the thought of his past lover. Most days he tried not to think of his little hot-headed, stubborn little ghost. But most days it was too hard and he’d cave. “The seat is all yours” Richie tried to smile in hopes of fixing the awkward tension he’s created. 

The man smiled and gladly took the seat, “I’m Sebastian by the way” He shot Richie a kind smile and continued, “And that’s a pretty big coincidence since my middle name is Edward” 

Deep down, Richie couldn’t help but remember what Eddie had told him,  _ Just know that I will find you again _ . Richie returned the smile, his heart suddenly felt warmer than it had in months. Instead of focusing on the past, he extended his hand forward. 

“Nice to meet you Seb, I’m Richie”. 

“Oh I hate that” he grimaced. 

Richie smiled slighty, “Yeah, I know…”

**Word Count: 9409**

**Author's Note:**

> This is a oneshot I wrote for my art class! This story actually got me a 100% in that class so I'm really happy with it. And I hope you guys enjoy it too! Sorry I know I haven't been uploading a lot, life has just been kinda crazy. I hope this can make up for it. 
> 
> Until next time,   
> so long and goodnight.


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